There is substantive evidence from systematic reviews for the effectiveness of fluoride varnish (FV) in caries prevention (Marhino et al 2002). The aim of this study (Divaris et al 2012) was to assess whether there were differential effects for FV according to tooth surface and baseline pathology. This was a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomised [read the full story…]
Work-related stress is everywhere these days. Obviously us elves are pretty much immune, but looking at the Bristol Stress and Health at Work Study (Smith 2000) I can see that more than 50% of human respondents reported being extremely, very or moderately stressed at work. You lovely people do suffer from lots of emotional and [read the full story…]
Following orthodontic treatment almost every patient will require a period of retention without which there is a tendency for teeth to return to their initial position. The aim of this trial was to compare three different retention methods. Patient s completing a first course of orthodontic treatment were randomized into three retention methods: vacuum-formed retainer [read the full story…]
Access to oral health care is difficult in many parts of the world. One way of improving this is by delegating tasks traditionally undertaken by dentists to other members of the dental team. The question addressed by this review by Wright et al was: – In populations where non-dentists conduct diagnostic, treatment planning, and/or irreversible/surgical [read the full story…]
Dental caries is a chronic disease that usually progresses slowly. The demineralisation of the tooth seen in the early stages of dental decay are reversible so progression to cavitation can be prevented. The aim of this review was to appraise the evidence for the efficacy of nonsurgical caries preventive methods to arrest or reverse the [read the full story…]
I was watching the Liverpool v Manchester United football match yesterday and was interested in the pre-match warm up the players were doing. There was lots of stretching of the hamstrings going on. Hamstring injuries are common in athletes and frequently result in long delays in return to sport. So what is the comparative effectiveness [read the full story…]
Endodontically treated teeth (ETT) are considered to be more brittle and subject to fracture. Posts are frequently used to restore ETT and use of the appropriate post material is considered important to a successful restoration. The aim of this review of in-vitro studies was to compare the fracture load of ETT restored with cast of [read the full story…]
Significant blood loss can occur during orthognathic surgery and there are risks associated with blood transfusion so minimizing blood loss during surgery is important. A large number of trials and reviews have shown that the antifibrinolytic agent tranexamic acid ( a synthetic amino acid lysine analog ) can effectively reduce bleeding in a number of [read the full story…]
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is usually episodic and self-limiting but can produce severe ulcers that interfere with eating speaking and swallowing. Minor RAS (MiRAS) is the most common form. The aim of this trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of berberine (an isoquinoline alkaloid originally isolated from medicinal herbs) in the treatment of [read the full story…]
Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is though to affect around 4% of the male and 2% of the female population of North America. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) particularly for moderate to severe cases. The aim of this cross-over trial was to compare the two types of mandibular advancement appliances (MAAs) with different structures, retention [read the full story…]
